Henry County adopts Transportation Safety Action Plan, a 65% Vision Zero goal and Complete Streets policy

Henry County commissioners on Sept. 3 adopted a Transportation Safety Action Plan developed with a USDOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant, set a community safety goal to reduce crashes that cause fatalities and serious injuries by 65% by Dec. 31, 2050, and approved a county Complete Streets policy intended to guide future road projects and make the county eligible for SS4A implementation funding.

The plan, presented by consultant Julia Billings of Modern Mobility Partners and introduced by staff member Sam Baker, responds to county crash data showing 24 traffic fatalities and 4,511 injuries on Henry County roads during the previous year. Billings described a year-long process that began in October 2024, included safety and demographic analyses, public engagement with more than 1,000 participants, and stakeholder committee meetings. The recommendations include engineering countermeasures on priority corridors, a safety countermeasures toolkit (speed management, vulnerable-user infrastructure, intersection safety, lighting and traffic calming) and policy changes including an update to the county’s Unified Land Development Code to prioritize safety.

Sam Baker said the county’s priority corridor for unincorporated Henry County is Willow Lane and Industrial Boulevard, and recommended adopting the plan so the county can pursue implementation grants. ‘‘Our roads are dangerous, and we need to do something about it,’’ Sam Baker said, citing the injury and fatality totals.

Commissioners and presenters discussed bicycle and pedestrian safety, lighting on rural roads, speed feedback signs, roundabouts, sidewalks, and how to align the plan with existing parks, trails, the Henry County Transportation Plan (adopted 2022), and the county’s Unified Land Development Code. Billings and Baker said bicyclist stakeholders prefer separated bike lanes with physical dividers rather than painted lanes; lighting and improved crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands are among the recommended engineering measures; and roundabouts were listed in the toolkit as an intersection safety option backed by research.

The board voted to adopt the Transportation Safety Action Plan, to approve a resolution establishing the community goal of reducing fatal and serious-injury crashes by 65% from current levels by Dec. 31, 2050, and to adopt the Henry County Complete Streets policy. Commissioners were told adoption positions the county to apply for federal implementation funds through the SS4A program.

Commissioners asked staff to coordinate plan implementation with other county plans and codes: updating the ULDC, integrating Complete Streets elements into highway overlay districts, and aligning sidewalk and trail priorities with parks-and-recreation and SPLOST project plans. Commissioners also raised funding questions and noted that many recommended improvements (lighting, widened lanes, separated bike infrastructure) require outside funding or SPLOST allocations to implement.

The board approved the plan, the community goal and the Complete Streets policy by voice vote ("all in favor; motion carries").

Additional supporting materials, including the draft plan and engineering priority corridors, were posted on the county website and the presenter left contact information for follow-up questions.